Vehicle-wheel.



PATENTED DEC. 24, 1907.

No. aufvo@ C. W. STAPLETON.

VEHICLE AWHEEL.

APPLICATION FILED 00T.7.19o5.

. WMM/Lewes 6%0 A To all whom it 'may concern:

' CHARLES w. sTAPLEToN, or NEW YORK, N'. Y.

VEHICLE-WHEEL.

l Specification of Letters Patent.

, Patentedl Dec. 24, 1907.

Applicatibnsled october 7.1906. sentire. 251,822.

Beit known that I, CHAnLEs W.-S'rArLE 'roN a citizen of the United States, residing in New York, in the county and State of New -York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vehicle-Wheels, of which the following is a speciication. .The invention relates to elastic spring I: wheels, the object being to provide a whee which shall intercept and absorb the shocks,

. 'olts and knocks incident to use, thus reliev- 1n the axletree ve 'cle.

I provide a wheel with metallic sprin spokes, firmly attached to and radiating from the hub, 'of curvilinear form, firmly ati tached to the felly.' To the felly may be j tion, with one of the hub 'avoid dishing added the ordinary rubber tire. The .spring spokes have a broader base seat, or place of attachment at the hub than' at the felly, thus giving them an inclined and bracing position thebetter-to enable the wheel' to withstand lateral thrusts and strains and to Ri `dly attached to, and projecting from the elly are independent, non-flexible spokes, radiating toward the `hub of the Wheel and carrying an interior buier ring entirely dependent for support on its attachment to the felly, and subject only to the motion of the felly. Within this interior buier ring I provide a buer collar encirclin the hub and attached thereto, Wholly depen ent on and moving in conjunction with saidhub. This buffer ring and collar are, equipped Iwith india rubber. This arrangement permits the hub to move freely at all times within the interior buffer ring' in response to shocks and the load, thus producin the combination of a wheel rigid laterally ut flexible circumferentially, with the Jfunctions of a rubber tired wheel, an'd the ordinary Wagon spring.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in Which- Fi re 1. is a side elevation of a vehicle whee constructed accordirg to my invenanges removed,

the view being' taken on the line 1-1 of Fig. 2.; Fig. 2. is a vertical section on the irregular line 2-2 of Fig. 1.; Fi .3. is a plan view of a clamp for a spoke on t e felly; and, Fig. 4. is a vertical section of a portion of the same on an enlarged scale.

In the accompanying drawing like numerals of reference refer to the same parts in each of the views; and in practice I provide and all other parts of the a yvehicle, wheel with a suitable felly, which may consist of a iianged channel (5), in which maybe seated a solid rubber tire (6). I also provide a hub (7), whichis articularly shown in Fi'g. 2, and consistso a journal box on which is secured in any desired manner, but preferably by shrinking thereon, a collar (8), forming a buffer seat, which is mounted centrally With reference to said journal box. On each of the ends of this journal box I mount flanged plates (9 and 10). I also provide spring spokes (1.1), .of

peculiar' construction, each comprising a steel band bent to form a loop, as Shown 1n' Fig. 1., one end being located on one side of j the collar (8), and the otherv end being on the opposite side of said collar. The ends of these spring spokes are bent to form l. hook or eye; and I provide bolts (12), which pass through the plates 9 and 10', Vand through the collar and through the eye formed in the end of one spring spoke and the eye of the spring spoke on the opposite side of the collar; andthe spokes (11), are

so proportioned in width that when the nuts f 13 on the'bolts (12), are screwed up tight the ed es of the ends of the springspokes, the coll fastened and held irrnlytogether, as clearly shown in Fig. 2; the plates '(9 and 10) are made slightly dish-shaped to conform to the ar (8), and the plates (9 and 10) are inward incline of the spring spokes. AOn the underside of the felly (5), I secure at fixed intervals rigid spokes converging toward the hub and attached by clamps (14). B curing these clamps to the felly by selts .(16), it will be seen that the central portion of the spring spokes is clamped to the folly, While the ends ar fastened by the bolts (12), so that the felly of .the Wheel is secured to the hub solely by these spring spokes, which are composed of spring metal of suiiicient width and rigidity, and at the same time yield sniciently, to relieve the vehicle from shock when striking an object, or in passing over rough roads. In order that these springs may have suflicient elasticity but without too much spring action, under una` sual shock, I provide an interior buiier, comprising a ring 17, having a iiange 18, and,

each clamp 14, is provided with a socket 19,

in which is mounted one end of a rigid spoke 20, the opposite end of which is attached to the buiier ring 17 which is secured thereto by rivets 21, or in any desired manner.V 'On this -buifer ring is mounted a rubber` ring 22,

and in the collar 8, is mounted a krubber ring 23,. forming buffers which are held at a fixed distance apart so as to allow of a limited spring laction of the spokes 11, before con-A tact; but ,ishould this spring action be in-v Acrease ibeyond the point desired, the buffers 22 and 23, would contact with each other `and/prevent undue depression of the spring spokes 11, and these buffers being composed "of rubber, would relieve the shockso that no resultant jolt would be felt in the vehicle. While the buffer ring 17, and the spokes 20, together with the sockets of the felly are the other end being on the opposite side, as

clearlyshown in the drawing '25 Itv will be readily seen that a wheel constructed as I have described will have the 'elastic function of the rubber tires and numerous sensitive springs acting conjointly, of the spring while theinterior' buffersv allow spokes being made of considerable elasticity, without dan er of a too great flexing.

I do not limit myself to the construction shown in the accompanying drawing as it is plainthat the spring spokes may be arran ed in various ways; I may divide them, con

mg them to a semicircle, or segment of a circle, and may have thernall curve in one di-v rection, and instead of a set of opposite spokes, there may be but a single series; or they may be reversed, and the ends attached to the felly instead of the hub, and various methods of attaching the spokes to the felly and to the hub may be used, as will be suggestedto the ordinary mecha-nic.

. Having thus described lateral action of the ile I prefer to separate the buffer rings, it is plain that they may be adjusted to contact at all times and that only one rubber buffer ring need be used, and that these buffers may be equipped with either solid or pneumatic rubber. 11

my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent isl. A vehicle wheel having elastic spokes, and a buiferinterposed between the ends of said spokes adapted to limit the action of the same.

2. A vehicle wheel having a plurality of spokes composed. of spring metal, and a buffer interposed between the ends of said spokes adapted to limit both the vertical and same.

3. In a vehicle wheel, a plurality of spokes composed of spring metal curvilinear in form, extending between and connecting the movement of said spo action of the same.

4. In a vehicle wheel, a plurality of spokes extending between an connecting t e hub with the felly, and a buffer mounted be.- t'ween the ends of said spokes intermediately purpose set forth.

5. In a vehicle wheel a pluralty of spokes composed of spring metal, curvilinear in form, having both ends thereof secured in the hub, said spokes overlapping each other and the ends thereof being on oppositeends. of said hub, and a buffer intermediatabetween the hub and the felly.

6. In a vehicle wheel havin spokes vcom-V posed of spring metal exten ing from the felly to the hub, a buer comprising a collar secured to the hub between said spokes, a

whereby an annular space isr left between the l ring and the collar, means to hold said ringin position, and an elastic cushion mounted on one of said members adapted to impin e upon the other member, thereby lilnitin t e spring action 'of said spokes, and absor ing theshocks, as and for the purpose set forth.

7. In a vehicle tire having spokes composed of spring metal a buffer comprising a collar secured centrall fellyof the wheel with ri id spokes, and an elastic cushion mounted oetween said ring and collar, as and for thepurpose set forth. 8. A vehicle wheel comprising a felly having a rubber tire mounted thereon, a plurality of loop-shaped spring spokes, the ends of each of which are secured in the opposite ends of the hub of the wheel, said spokes overlapping each other, a collar secured to said hub intermediately between theends thereof and between theopposite ends of said spokes, a cushion on said collar, a ring held between said collar and the felly of the wheel by -rigid spokes, said-ring being intersaid spokes and bein adapted to limit the zes, as and for the purpose set forth.

9. The herein' described .vehicle wheel comprising a felly, a rubber tire secured thereon, a hub, a plurality of curvilinear spokes composed of spring metal, the ends of which are secured in the opposite ends ofsaid hub, a collar on the said hub between theopposite ends of said spokes, flanges and bolts to clamp the ends of said spokes in A osition against said collana plurality of rigi spokes their conver ing ends at a fixed vdistance from said col ar, and elastic material mount. ed between said riny curvilinear m form comdposed of sprin metal.'

ring of greater diameter encircling the same, i

with reference to thev hub, a ring of greater iameter secured to the v attached to the felly, supporting a ring' 0n.

and said collar, as and for the purpose set forth.

hub and felly, and a buffer interposed lietween said spokes thereby limiting the spring betweenthe hub and the felly, as and for the posed between the opposite ends of each of 10. In a Vehicle Wheel,-the combination of curvilinear metallic, flexible spokes, radiatngimm and firmly connectingrv the hub with the felly7 an interior'buffer ring, suspended from and rigidly attached to the inner' part 'of the felly; en interior bu'er collar Within said interior buiier ring, said collar encircling and .rigidly attechedille the outer part of the hub, seid coller and buffer ring being on a Vertical plane withthe wheel felly, and adjusted to impinge upon or Contact With each other when the hub inuse, upon the flexing of the springs, moves out of the center ofthe Wheel. Y

In testimony whereof I have signed my 15 name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses/ N CHARLES W. STAPLE'ION.

Witnesses:

ADELE V. JUILLERAT, FREDERICK B. CUTLER. 

